Vacuum-controlled stoker



Aug-1211930- F. P. RoEscH Y VACUUM CONTROLLED STOKER Filed July 14, 1921 mmm l Patented Aug. 12, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.v

FRANK P. ROESCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN'OR TOJTHE STANDARD STOKER COH- PANY, INC., or NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE VACUUM-OONTROLLED' STOKER Applicatonled July 14,'

My present invention' relates vin general to controlling devices, and more particularly to combustion regulators, and has special reference to furnaces and to the regulation of 2 the fuel and air feed thereto.

performed thereby; theprovisionV of means foi automatically regulating the air supply to a furnace in accordance with the work performed thereby; the provision of fuel feed controlling means responsive to the draft through a furnace; the yprovision in a steam boiler of fuel feed controlling means responsive to variations in the steam exhaust; the provision in a furnace of means'for simultaneous regulation of the fuel,Y feed andY ofthe air feed, and moreparticularly' of the simultaneous regulation of these automatically in accordance with the work done by the furnace; and the provision of a new, simplied and eiiicient arrangement for furnaceV control and one more particularlyadapted for the purpose of vobtaining froml a furnace the maximum efficiency from the fuel consumed, and'for reducing the fuel consumption to a minimum. A`

In the attainment of the objects referred to, together with 'such' additional benefits and advantages as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, I'ha-ve provided a construction, one embodiment of which -is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a view vin sideelevation of'a locomotive showing my invention in position; y 1.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view Apartly ,in section of .ay portion of my invention showing the fuel feed regulation; and

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 ofI Figure 1 looking in the'dircction of the arrows, only the righthalf'of this section being shown. Y

-In the diagrammatic showing of Figure 1,'for purposes of convenience, I illustrate alocomotive boiler, 10, the front end, 11, thereof having the steam exhaust pipe,-12, open thereto, and in` turn being open to k:the ex` 1921. seran No. 484,605.

ceed to describe, and in which the fuel feed f is made responsive to conditions such as existinthe boiler front end, 1l,V or in any other part of the boiler Where the aforementionedr or similar conditions are found.

Forf purposes of convenience, I'have illustrated ymy invention as used with a mechanical stoker having the driving engine, 15,0perated by a motive fluid preferably by steam supplied thereto from any desired or preferred source, although as will be obvious as this description proceeds, my invention is equally useful and applicable where an atomizer is usedfor supplying liquid fuel asin oilburning locomotives, 'as well ias .in other places, and forv other purposes where the variation inair exhaust can bezmade-of avail for regulation. l

The motive fiuid, preferably steam, is supplied tothe Stoker engine, 15, from asource, 15.', bythe pipe connection,16,theflow of the flu-id throughithe .pipe being controlled .at 17V bythe valve, 18, movable in the yval-ve casing, 19. This valve, 18, is moved in accordance with-the vacuum in the front endfofvthe boiler,`

10; in the Afollowing manner, viz :y

Positioned in the front end, 11,)is the va-y cuum intake end,.20, connected by the pipe., 21, to onefend of the expansion chamber,f22, a pipe. 23, leading from the other-end'of the chamber, 22, to oneside ofthediaphragm,v 211, positioned intermediate .the bow-shaped halves, 25, formingthe diaphragm chamber, 26. This diaphragm chamber, 26, on the other side of the diaphragm, 24;, isfopentoy theatmosphere; as clearlyshown at 27.

As Va result4 of. this arrangement, there will bea pressure of one atmosphere at;all'times` on the right side of the da hragm, 24, whereas the pressure on the ot er (i.e. the left) side of the diaphragm, 24, will be that of the front end, 11, of the boiler or of such other Part of the boiler as may be used for this p Secured to and centrally of the diaphragm, 24, at one of its ends is the valve operating leyer 28 passing through the opening, 27. the end `being` to the. valve',L 18. As ,a resultwof@thiswrrangement, the diaphragm, 24, will have a constant pressure on one eide (i. e. its right side) and a variable pressure on its other side (i. e. its left side) dependent upon the extent of withdrawal of stearnsfrom the holerfand its discharge into therontend, 11. 4 f

noted reviously, the discharge of steam frumthe aust, 12, will produce a substantialvaeuum inthe front end, 11, which in turn willmsnlt in a decrease in pressure on the left @nahe diaphragm, 24. f;-

;. 'Ihe-diaphragm,;.24, which is preferably l ,madeofan extensible material suchV asthin sheet brass will thusibek concave toward the lefthndrthe lever, 28,:willbecaused to move imefeame direction, carrying with it the valle# 18, thus opening the passage through pipe, 16, to a "ter or less extent and the motive .uid'to stokin'g engine toolmlit to feed ingrat a speed'propor tionate Yto the :extentof movement of the ,vaiv' 18,-which in turnfieiiependent u on the am lof decrease iIr-pressnre yon t e left ofWhilelfdiaphraglnt24,-v which in its turn is upon `the amount of vacuum prodwd'ailnthe front end by the withdrawal afstaan; from tlieboiler.A

*The expansion chamber, 22serves to eliminitefluetuations; or pulsations in the fluid :For maintaining thevalve, 18,p in its closed pe'itionfof Figure 2,1unless and until a vacuun'in the front end, `11, produces a movement of the valve to the left, the valve casing, 19, is provided with thefspiral spring, 30, seatngffltone-end againstthevalve, 18, and at the'ethenenda einst the cap, 31, threaded on the Yalve "chamer, 19, for adjustment there oleo'las-to varythe of thespring, 3U,l2!"he,lock;nut,32, maintains the cap, 31, 'clinsltarmement.'` Al cap, 33, is threaded` on oppoatefend ofthe valve casing, 19, to

act aslinj'abutmentqzgpfor the valve, 418. f {rflo' eithe manual control of the fftldig mechanism, as may be requisite deiible, I hafe provided the conduit, the by-pasat 34,aroundthe valve 4iti-iber, V19, the 'manually operated aux?" ili'ryalve, 3 5, controllingthe flow of motive power? through this hypass, 34. The automat'iyoperated control valve may be renderedinoperative al v,efthrough the cut- 'atany suitable point 1 efthe-diapimgmgag so that the fuel feed will be wholly manually controlled.

I have also provided an automatic regulation of the air supply for combustion purposes in the following manner. In Figure 3 show in cross-section on the right half of the ash pit, 37, taken on the lines 3 3 of Figure 1, looking in ,the direction vof the arrows. (As both halves of this ash pit are exactly the same, the description of the right halfillustrated in Figure 3 will answer also for the left half.) The ash pit, 37, is provided with suitably positioned and dimensioned dampers, 38, which control the openings between the mud ring of the furnace or e box of the locomotive engine l2 and the ash pan, which openings are preferably of an area substantially equal to 15% of the total grate area.

The dempers, 38, are arcuate in shape and pivoted to swing about the axis, 39. Secured to each damper, 38, is an operating lever, 40, hinged at its free end at 4l to the lever, 42, pivoted to a fixed support at 43. The opposite end of each 1ever,.42, is slotted as shown at 44, the levers, 42, being arranged so as ,to have their slotted portions, 44, in overlappingrelation asclearly shown in Figure 3. l i

It is desirable that the dempers, 38, be controlled automatically by the same means and in the same manner as is the fuel feedinglmeohanisln; described above, and for this purpose, thefpipe, 4,5, leads from the expansion. Chamber, 22to one side of a diaphragm chamber, 46, which is in all substantial respectslike thediaphragm chamber, 26, both in construction. and operation.

To this end, a rod, 47, is attached to the diaphragm (not shown) in the diaphragm chamber, 46, and this rod, 47, has a ortion, 48, at its lower end passing through the slots, 48., in both levers, `42.

It is obvious from what has been set forth previously, that upon the creation of a vacuumin the front end due to the withdrawal of steam from the boiler,- such vacuum or decrease in pressure will make itself felt on one side of thediaphragm in the chamber, 46, to causethe rod, 47, to move upwardly, moving the lever,` 42,` clockwise, pulling the` rod, 40, generally to the leftin Figure 3, thus opening the damper to an extent dependent upon the decrease of the pressure.

'Upon viewing Figure 1, it will be seen that the parts of the construction are so positioned as to bring the manual controls within reach in the engineerscab.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patents isl. In a device of the character described, in combination, a locomotive boiler and furnace, means for feeding fuel thereto, 'a steam engine, operated by steam from said boiler, and means for actuating said fuel feedmeans,

said actuating means being directly responsive to variations in the production of the draft through the furnace created by exhaust steam from said engine irrespective of the pressure in the boiler.

2. The combination with a locomotive en gine and its steam boiler and fire box, said boiler having an exhaust device, of an engine for a mechanical stolrer for said locomotive engine, connections between the stoker en- Ygine and the boiler whereby the Stoker engine is operated by steam from the boiler, and means connecting said connections with said exhaust device, said means comprising devices responsive to variations in the exhaust for controlling the passage of steam through said connections between the steam boiler and the stoker engine.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, with a fluid pressure operated locomotive, of automatically operative fuel feeding means, and means connected to said fuel feeding means and including a pressure sensitive element responsive to variations in the load imposed upon the locomotive in operation in proportion to the vacuum produced by the exhaust steam from the engine thereof for varying the operation of said fuel feeding means.

4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a steam boiler, an engine, a furnace therefor and a damper for admitting air to theu furnace, and means responsive to the vacuum produced by the exhaust of steam from the engine and a connectionfrom said means to and for cont-rolling the position of the damper.

5. The combination with a locomotive engine and its steam boiler and fire box, said boiler having an exhaust device, of an engine for a mechanical Stoker for said locomotive engine, connections between the stoker enrgine and the boiler whereby the stoker engine trolling the passage of steam through said connections between the steam boiler and the stolzer engine, and additional devices connected to said exhaust device for controlling the air supply to said steam boiler.

6. The combination with an engine, and a source of power therefor, of a vacuum chamber connected with said source of power and the pressure wherein varies with the speed of the engine, and means responsive to the exhaust of the engine for controlling the supply of power to the engine variable with the variation in pressure in said chamber.

7. The vcombination with a steam boiler, and a steam engine, of a vacuum chamber, means for increasing and decreasing the relative vacuum therein by means of exhaust steam from the engine, a pressure-sensitive device, a fuel control device, and operative connections between said pressure-sensitive device, said vacuum chamber, and said fuel control device whereby as the sub-normal pressure in said chamber decreasesthe fuel feed is increased and as the sub-normalpressure rises the fuel feed is decreased, thereby regulating the fuel feed in accordance with the rate of exhaust from said engine controlledv by the load and speed of said engine.

8. In a device of the character described, in combination, a steam boiler having an exhaust flue, a steam engine operated by steam from said boiler and exhausting into said flue, and means operated by the vacuum created `by said exhausting steam from the engine in said flue for controllingthe fuel supply to the irebox of said boiler.

9. In a device of the character described, in

combination, a steam boiler having an exhaust flue, a steam engine operated by steam from said boiler and exhausting into said line, and means operated by theL vacuum created by said exhausting steam from the engine tosaid iiue for controlling the air supply to the firebox of said boiler.

10. In a device of the charac-ter described, in combination, a steam boiler having an exhaust ue, a steam engine operated by steam from said boiler and exhausting into said flue, and means operated by the vacuum created by said 'exhausting steam from the engine in. said flue for4 controlling the fuel and air supply to the irebox of said boiler.

11.'In`a kdevice of the character described, in combination, a steam engine, a furnace Vhaving an exhaust flue, said steam engine delivering exhaust steam into said exhaustflue in accordance Vwith its speed and load, means for controlling the combustion in said furnace, and means for actuating said controlling means including an element responsive to variations in the vacuum thus created in said exhaust flue in accordance with Work performed by said engine.

12. In a device of the character described, in combination, a steam engine, a furnace having an exhaust flue, said steam engine delivering exhaust steam into said exhaust flue in accordance with its speed and load,

fiuid pressure operated means for controlling the combustion in said furnace including an elementresponsive to variations in the vacuum thus created in said exhaust flue in accordance with work performed by said engine, and means for eliminating kundue fluctuations in said fluid pressure operated means.

13. In a device of the character described, in combination, a steam engine, a furnace having anrexhaust flue, said steam engine delivering exhaust steam into said exhaust flue in accordance with its speed andload, fluid pressure operatedmeans for controllingk the combustion 1n said furnace, means for actuating said combustion controlling means an element responsive to variain the vacuumthus created in said exhaustue in accordance with work per 4 5 inlined by said engine,\and means interposed between the exhaust flue and said actuating means for eliminating undue fluctuations of the `Huid pressure operated means. 14. In a device of the character described, o in:` combination, n steam engine, a furnace havingan exhaust iue, said steam engine delring exhaust steam into. said exhaust iiue in `raccordance with its speed and load, fluid pressure operated lmeans for controlling the .15 combustion in saidfffurnace, means for actuatng said. combustion controlling means including an elementresponsive to variations in the vacuum thus created in said exhaust Hue in `accordance with work per- 20 liormed by said engine, and means including an expansion chamber between said exhaust Hue and said iiuid rassure operated means forf'elimnating ue fluctuations of the latter. i

' \.-15.;The combination with a locomotive en ne and its steam boiler and lire box, said iler having an exhaust device, of an engine frn..mechanical' Stoker for said locomotive engine, connections between the Stoker enc" i the boilemwhereby the stoker engine wfoparated by steam from the boiler, a valve inI said connectionsgand means connecting said exhaust device with said valve for auto- Imatically varying the `position of said valve '1G in 'wrrespondeneelwith variations inthe ex- `i1amatsteam fromthe boiler. r "In" `testimony whereof ll` have hereunto signedmy name. e 

